I am angry and disappointed with the behaviour of representatives of the Government of Canada as they hurry to pass the "Fair" Elections Act.
My concerns:
When dealing with an important topic - the right to vote - haste is not an intelligent approach. In order to fully consider this Act - one basic necessity is to bring together people who have the experience of actually organizing voting, translating the right to vote into an accessible action- and actually discuss and debate the issue rationally..
Pierre Poilievre, Democratic Reform Minister, spoke to the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee as it launched a "pre-study" of the bill before the House of Commons considers amendments or passes it.
"His (Marc Mayrand's ) recommendations really boil down to three broad requirements for him," "He wants more power, a bigger budget and less accountability," he said.
Mr. Polievere is behaving in a blatantly dishonest manner.
I also include Tony Oliver's (President of the Treasury Board of Canada) disparaging comments labelling chief electoral Officer Marc Mayrand and former Auditor General Sheila Fraser as "self-proclaimed experts."
I find the lack of respect - the astounding lack of courtesy from these government ministers - appalling.
At this point I am still reading through the proposed act - so will not make any comments on the substance of the bill until I have finished
I'm aware that a basic premise of political life is to reinforce one's position while attacking any opposition, but the present Government of Canada has a record of showing its disregard for anyone who does not agree with their aims.
As someone twice Mr. Poilievre's age - I do not happen to be stupid - It is obvious that the Federal Government as represented by Poilievre and Clements think that Canadians actually believe these dismissive and denigrating statements. I personally find that these assertions reflect how the Government of Canada views Canadians. They have not proved anything by their behaviour except a total lack of respect for Canadians.
I believe these " representatives of the people of Canada" have forgotten the manners they were likely taught growing up, and also that rudeness and discourtesy usually reveal personal insecurity.
E. L. Ryder
Prince George
